Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1887-12-03
THE TOWN wORkHOUsE.

Report of the Towns Committee Ap.
pointed TO Enquire Into tIhe subject
In All Hts Branches-A Worry Extend
ed and Thorough Investigation ON
This Important Public Matter.
The committee appointed at New Haven
town meeting, Dec. 8, 1886, to enquire into
the advisability of establishing town work
house and into the methods of supporting the
town poor have prepared their report. The
committee are Judge Deming, chairman; Pro-
lessor II. w. Farnam, secretary; Michael
Dillon, John T. Sloan, A. N. Wheeler. The
report is based upon very thorough inves-
tigation of the case before them. Their work
was under three distinct heads They took
the testimony of many persons in New Haven
best qualified to speak on the subject. They
visited various warehouses;, among them the
following: The House of Industry on Deer
Island, near Boston; the workhouse on Black
wells Island, near New York; the House of
Correction at Holmesburg, near Philadelphia;
the workhouse at Rummelsburg, near Berlin,
Germany; the workhouse at Leipzig, and the
Depot de Mepdiciti at Nanterre, near Paris
Finally, the committee have endeavored to
inform themselves with regard to the sys-
TENS of poor relief in vogue in other parts of
the United States and in foreign countries by
consulting publications, by correspondence
and by personal conversation with those ia
miiar with the subject.
Public opinion in New Haven had become
alive to the Importance of making enquiry as
to the ACCESSIBILITY of establishing work
house. and two years ago Judge Deming of
the police court and Mr.. Reynolds, the town
agent, were SO impressed with the necessity
of establishing such an institution that they
called meeting of citizens in the Office of
the selectmen in order to consult upon the
matter. The meeting appointed committee
consisting OF Harmanus NJ. Welch, town
treasurer; James Reynolds, town agent; L. P.
Deming and r. S. Pickett, judge and assist
ant Judge respectively of the City court, and
Mr.. Charles L. Baldwin to report at a
future meeting. This committee reported
unanimously in favor of establishing a
workhouse and outlined plan of what they
proposed in the matter. Later the Taxpay
ers' association and the Mothers Aid society
seconded the motion.
The enquiries made showed that there is a
strong public sentiment here in favor of
workhouse. The committees work was,
therefore, to deal with practical questions
with regard to the details of management
and the necessity of workhouse here. The
problems to be solved were:
(a) Would the number of persons in New
Haven who would be sent to the workhouse
be great enough to enable the institution to
be run with economy?
(b) Would such an institution have good
efects
(c) What form of employment could be
adopted?
(d) Would such an institution be self-sup-
porting, and if not, to what extent would it
be burden upon the taxpayers?
AS to the number of inmates, it is estimat-
ed by Judge Pickett of the City court that
that court alone would probably send enough
men to the workhouse to keep fifty there con
stantly, making about twelve hundred days
work month. During the month of Octo-
Der the sentences to the County jail from the
City court amounted to 1850 days of work
in the aggregate and it is assumed that prob
ably oneh half of those cases would have been
sent to workhouse if there had been one.
In addition to these cases sent by the City
court there would undoubtedly be
a number Of persons, especially women,
who are at present in the almshouse, and
there would be some persons who are now at
large because their families dislike to inform
against them and have them sent to the
County Jail, knowing that to send them would
be merely to render the family more destitute
than ever and to give to the drunken or dis
solute head of the family comfortable
boarding place for thirty days. 1t is proba-
Bile, therefore, that if a workhouse were
erected it would very soon contain from sew
enty-fve to one hundred inmates. 1t may
be added, as throwing some light upon this
question, that in the year 1882 there were
among the children receiving aid as outside
poor in the town of New Haven 300 whose
fathers were common drunkards, % whose
mothers were common drunkards, 10 whose
mothers were proAigate, so who had shift
less and idle fathers and mothers, making in
NIL 397 whose parents would presumably be
6t subjects for the workhouse. If we as
sumo five children to family. this would
represent about eighty families in which
either the father or mother would be can
aidate for the workhouse; and it may be
fairly assumed that one-third or ore-half of
these would in all probability be sent there
in addition to the contingent that would be
sent there from the jail. It may be added
that it was the unanimous testimony of those
who gave their views to the committee that
there were enough persons in New Haven to
ell a workhouse of sufficient size to be run
As to the reformatory effects the commit
Tee are satisfied from their labors that the
results would be most salutary. This was
shown by the results in English warehouses
where the labor test was applied, in Saxony
warehouses and elsewhere. The sub
ect "Methods of Employm emit" was
more difficult of solution It was thorough
y and patiently considered by the commit
ZEE. There are many occupations which |
,euld be well carried on in a workhouse,. but
n New Haven the committee believe it
would be more profitable to employ the in
mates in work for the city and more useful |
rom disciplinary point of view. The wo
men could be employed in knitting and sew
ng and laundry work. The committee next
reat the subject from the economical point |
md added tables of earnings in various pris- |
ms and houses of correction. They cite the |
experience of Norwich Comm where it was |
ound that an almshouse combined with /
Torkhouse fails, but the argument |
n favor of the workhouse as an /
and separate institution /
8 good. The committee estimate i
hat workhouse here would be self support |
Nc and even yield small profit for the fam
lies of the inmates. The report then treats |
# poor relief in general, beginning with an |
Iccount of the method in use in New Haven /
It present. The report is very exhaustive |
md treats further of the sick and insane, of /
'auper labor, poor relief statistics in Connec-
lecticut as State, in the United States and /
q England, France and Germany (including
he Elber6eld system), the effects of outdoor
elief, result of abolishing outdoor relief pos
Utility of reducing outdoor relief in New
Haven, and adds various recommendations /
# value.